Ministers had looked at charging overseas visitors after a review of Arts Council England, but decided a fee could put off visitors from home.
Visitors from abroad will go on getting into England’s national museums for free. The government has ruled out a separate entry fee for overseas tourists.
Ministers had studied whether charging people from other countries could help museums balance their books. The idea followed an independent review of Arts Council England, which was published last December.
The government has now concluded that a fee aimed at tourists could also put off people from within the country. It added that some museums would gain far more than others, because the costs and benefits of a charge would not be shared evenly. Ministers weighed the possible income against those risks and decided against it. The national museums will therefore stay free for every visitor.
Free entry does not mean the museums bring in nothing for the wider economy. By the government’s estimate, the money their visitors spend elsewhere adds more than £1 billion a year. That figure counts spending outside the museums rather than ticket income.
The permanent collections of the national museums have been free to see since 2001. Evidence collected after that change showed a clear increase in visits from older people and from people on lower incomes. Both groups had long been underrepresented among museum audiences.
The decision may not be the final word. The government intends to draw up a long-term plan for museums together with Arts Council England and the wider sector, so further changes could still come.
No. The government has ruled out a separate entry fee for overseas visitors, so the national museums stay free for everyone.
It said a fee could also put off visitors from within the country, and that some museums would gain far more than others from a charge.
Possibly. The government intends to draw up a long-term plan with Arts Council England and museums, so further changes could still come.
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